Overview

Brief Summary

Description

The Spiny Pocket Mouse is somewhat shaggy. Its spines, which are mostly on the rump, are not nearly as stiff as porcupine quills. Like quills, they are modified hairs. This Pocket Mouse occurs throughout most of Baja California, Mexico, and on some of the islands off the coast. In the United States, it occurs only in extreme southeastern and south-central California west of the Colorado River. The Rock Pocket Mouse lives east of the river in identical habitat. Because these animals choose places of little agricultural value, their habitats are probably safe from development and their futures as species secure.

Article rating
from 0 people

Distribution

Range Description

This species occurs in southern Nevada, southeast California (USA) south to the cape of Baja California Peninsula (Mexico); also occurs on many islands in the Gulf of California (Patton 2005). It occurs at elevations up to 900 m (Wilson and Ruff, 1999).

In the Gulf of California this species is found on Espiritu Santo Island, San Francisco Island, San Jose, Carmen, Coronados, San Marcos, San Lorenzo, Angel de la Guarda, Mejia islands, and in the Pacific on Margarita Island.

Article rating
from 0 people

Global Range: Southeastern and south-central California (including San Bernardino, Riverside, Imperial and San Diego counties), marginally in extreme southern Nevada, south to the southern end of Baja California, including adjacent offshore islands (but absent from the western third of northern and central Baja California). To 900 m in the Turtle Mountains in southeastern California and about 1500 m in the Sierra Laguna in the Cape region of southern Baja California.

Little is known about the natural history of the spiny pocket mouse despite its wide range and the many reports of its occurrence. It is nocturnal, thereby escaping the intense heat and aridity of the desert during the day. Its diet probably consists of seeds and it may eat green vegetation following the brief periods of rain. Because water is scarce in its habitat much of the time, this rodent probably finds water derived from its food. The only record of reproduction detailed the occurrence of four embryos in one specimen. Nothing is known about growth, development, physiological function, and behavior (Wilson and Ruff 1999).

Article rating
from 0 people

Migration

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Other sequences that do not yet meet barcode criteria may also be available.

AATCGTTGATTATTTTCAACAAACCACAAAGACATCGGTACCTTATATTTGATTTTTGGTGCATGAGCCGGAATGGTAGGAACTGGCCTT---AGCATTTTAATCCGAGCTGAGCTTGGACAACCAGGTGCATTATTGGGGGAT---GATCAAATCTATAACGTAGTAGTTACAGCCCATGCTTTCGTAATAATCTTCTTTATAGTTATGCCAATTATAATTGGTGGATTTGGAAACTGGTTAGTTCCTTTAATA---ATTGGGGCACCAGATATAGCATTCCCTCGAATAAATAATATAAGTTTCTGACTTCTCCCACCTTCTTTCCTTCTTCTCCTAGCTTCTTCAATAATTGAGGCAGGAGCCGGAACTGGTTGAACTGTTTACCCCCCATTAGCTGGCAACTTAGCTCACGCAGGAGCATCAGTTGACCTG---ACTATTTTCTCTCTTCACCTAGCCGGGGTATCCTCAATTTTAGGTGCTATTAATTTTATTACAACAATTATTAATATAAAACCACCTGCAGTCTCCCAATACCAAACACCCTTATTTGTCTGATCAGTTTTAATTACTGCCGTCCTGCTTCTTCTGTCTTTACCAGTTCTAGCTGCT---GGTATTACTATACTTTTAACAGACCGAAACCTTAATACCACTTTCTTTGACCCTGCAGGAGGAGGAGATCCTATTCTATATCAACATCTATTCTGATTCTTTGGCCATCCTGAAGTTTATATTCTTATTCTTCCTGGATTTGGGATTATCTCTCACATCGTCACTTTTTATTCAGGTAAGAAA---GAGCCATTCGGCTATATAGGAATAGTTTGAGCAATAATATCTATTGGATTCCTAGGCTTTATTGTTTGAGCTCACCATATGTTTACGGTGGGAATAGATGTAGATACTCGAGCATACTTCACATCTGCAACTATAATCATTGCAATCCCTACTGGAGTTAAAGTATTTAGCTGACTA---GCTACT-- end --

This species is listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category.

Article rating
from 0 people

Threats

There are no major threats known. Most populations are probably secure because the species inhabits areas of little agricultural value (Wilson and Ruff 1999). However, some populations on islands are threatened by predation from feral cats, and on Meija and Coronados Islands other species of rodents have been extirpated (Peromyscus guardia and Neotomys bunkeri).

Contents

The Spiny Pocket Mouse has long hairs. It has spines on its back that are more flexible.[3] The existence of the spines differentiates whether it’s Chaetodipus Spinatus from pocket mice in other genera.[4] Their ears are small and round.[5] They have long tails that are 126% of the length of their head and body.[6] Their coat colors vary among islands but are generally brown on the tops of their bodies and tan on their sides.[7] A Spiny Pocket Mouse weighs about 13-18 g. Their length ranges anywhere from 164 to 225 mm.[8]

Spiny Pocket Mouse is found in Southern Nevada, and in the islands of the Gulf of California at elevations up to 900m (2952.76 ft).[9] They also range from southeast California to the south by the cape of Baja California Peninsula (Mexico) where they are native. Because of its wide range in distribution, the Spiny Pocket Mouse population has little concern of extinction.[10]

The Spiny Pocket Mouse’s diet is impacted by the habitat it lives in. Their diet mainly consists of seeds, desert shrubs, and grasses.[11] At times of rainfall, they look for green vegetation. The Spiny Pocket Mouse has to look for a water source in its food because finding a water source in their habitat is uncommon.[12]

The Spiny Pocket Mouse is nocturnal. This characteristic allows the Spiny Pocket Mouse to live in rough, rocky desert landscapes by disappearing during the hot days.[13] Spiny Pocket Mouse sleeps and breeds their young in underground burrows.[14]

Merriam, C.H., 1889. Preliminary revision of the North American pocket mice (genera Perognathus et Cricetodipus auct.) with descriptions of new species and subspecies and a key to the known forms, p. 21. North American Fauna, 1:1-36.

Merriam, C.H., 1889. Preliminary revision of the North American pocket mice (genera Perognathus et Cricetodipus auct.) with descriptions of new species and subspecies and a key to the known forms, p. 21. North American Fauna, 1:1-36.

Article rating
from 1 person

Names and Taxonomy

Taxonomy

Comments: This species formerly was included in the genus Perognathus. Subgenus Chaetodipus was elevated to full genus status by Hafner and Hafner (1983); this treatment was supported by a phylogenetic analysis of Heteromyidae based on myology (Ryan 1989). Chaetodipus was accepted as a full genus by Jones et al. (1992), Patton (in Wilson and Reeder 1993), and most other authors subsequent to Hafner and Hafner (1983). In a phylogeny based on molecular data, Riddle (1995) found support for the monophyly of Chaetodipus, including C. formosus, relative to Perognathus.

Eighteen subspecies, many of them on islands in the Gulf of California, were recognized by Hall (1981).